Breaking the Wall

Week starting Oct 07, 2012

Previous WeekRecent EntriesHomeJoin Fast Running Blog Community!PredictorHealthy RecipesSasha Pachev's RacesFind BlogsMileage BoardTop Ten Excuses for Missing a RunTop Ten Training MistakesDiscussion ForumRace Reports Send A Private MessageMonth ViewYear View
Graph View
Next Week
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

Location:

Orem,UT,United States

Member Since:

Jan 27, 1986

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Olympic Trials Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

Best marathon: 2:23:57 (2007, St. George). Won the Top of Utah Marathon twice (2003,2004). Won the USATF LDR circuit in Utah in 2006.

Draper Days 5 K 15:37 (2004)

Did not know this until June 2012, but it turned out that I've been running with spina bifida occulta in L-4 vertebra my entire life, which explains the odd looking form, struggles with the top end speed, and the poor running economy (cannot break 16:00 in 5 K without pushing the VO2 max past 75).  

 

Short-Term Running Goals:

Qualify for the US Olympic Trials. With the standard of 2:19 on courses with the elevation drop not exceeding 450 feet this is impossible unless I find an uncanny way to compensate for the L-4 defect with my muscles. But I believe in miracles.

Long-Term Running Goals:

2:08 in the marathon. Become a world-class marathoner. This is impossible unless I find a way to fill the hole in L-4 and make it act healthy either by growing the bone or by inserting something artificial that is as good as the bone without breaking anything important around it. Science does not know how to do that yet, so it will take a miracle. But I believe in miracles.

Personal:

I was born in 1973. Grew up in Moscow, Russia. Started running in 1984 and so far have never missed more than 3 consecutive days. Joined the LDS Church in 1992, and came to Provo, Utah in 1993 to attend BYU. Served an LDS mission from 1994-96 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Got married soon after I got back. My wife Sarah and I are parents of eleven children: Benjamin, Jenny, Julia, Joseph, Jacob, William, Stephen, Matthew,  Mary,  Bella.  and Leigha. We home school our children.

I am a software engineer/computer programmer/hacker whatever you want to call it, and I am currently working for RedX. Aside from the Fast Running Blog, I have another project to create a device that is a good friend for a fast runner. I called it Fast Running Friend.

Favorite Quote:

...if we are to have faith like Enoch and Elijah we must believe what they believed, know what they knew, and live as they lived.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie

 

Favorite Blogs:

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 25.00 Year: 668.87
Saucony Type A Lifetime Miles: 640.15
Bare Feet Lifetime Miles: 450.37
Nike Double Stroller Lifetime Miles: 124.59
Brown Crocs 4 Lifetime Miles: 1334.06
Amoji 1 Lifetime Miles: 732.60
Amoji 2 Lifetime Miles: 436.69
Amoji 3 Lifetime Miles: 380.67
Lopsie Sports Sandals Lifetime Miles: 818.02
Lopsie Sports Sandals 2 Lifetime Miles: 637.27
Iprome Garden Clogs Lifetime Miles: 346.18
Beslip Garden Clogs Lifetime Miles: 488.26
Joybees 1 Lifetime Miles: 1035.60
Madctoc Clogs Lifetime Miles: 698.29
Blue Crocs Lifetime Miles: 1164.32
Kimisant Black Clogs Lifetime Miles: 720.62
Black Crocs 2023 Lifetime Miles: 1312.70
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
67.030.007.756.7581.53
Green Crocs 4 Miles: 81.50
Night Sleep Time: 47.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 47.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. Watched General Conference.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.280.000.750.0013.03

A.M. 12 total. 7 with Benjamin. 2 with Joseph, 1 with Jacob. Jenny and Julia did 3, I ran some of it with them. Did a pickup for 0.75. 

P.M. 0.5 errand run, and 0.5 with William. 

Green Crocs 4 Miles: 13.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.250.000.003.7512.00

A.M. Kids ran on their own. Benjamin 4, Jenny, Joseph, and Julia 1. Jacob rested. Cross-country meet tonight. I did a workout. 3x2000 in the canyon. First one up, the other two down. The times were 7:15.9, 6:28.5, 6:27.5. It felt harder than it should have and the form felt clumsy. Not that it is not always clumsy, but it was clumsier, I should say. I felt strength in the wrong muscles. I am suspecting I need to make a change in my strength training. So I decided no more running with dumbbells, and alter the back extension so that it works the part of the back that I feel matters for frame support when running.

P.M. Cross-country meet. 1500 meters. Benjamin won with 4:55 one more time using his patented long kick for the entire second half of the race. This is around 5:16 mile pace. I thought it was a good result for grass and hills. Joseph ran 6:45 winning Sub-bantams. Jenny did 6:49, 4th place in Midgets. Julia got third place in Bantams with 6:55. Jacob was third in Sub-bantams with 7:43. William ran 11:27 demonstrating great ability to focus and follow the course for a three year old.  Thinking on the results - Joseph was a bit slower than what he should have been, but not too much. Jenny is still struggling with muscle pain, so I am glad she was able to run a somewhat respectable time. Julia ran maybe 10 seconds slower than what I would have anticipated basing the calculations on track performances and Benjamin. Jacob just does not know how to run a short race. I told him - it is a short race, just go hard from the start. But he just ran it like he did the 3 K and the 4 K - same pace. Well, he is only 6 years old, still does not have a good sense of pace or distance. 

Green Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.500.000.000.0012.50

A.M. Ran with the kids for most of my run. Total of 12. 1 with Jacob, 2 with Jenny, Julia, and Joseph, 7 with Benjamin, 2 alone. 

P.M. 0.5 with William. 

Green Crocs 4 Miles: 12.50
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.003.0012.00

A.M. Kids ran on their own. Benjamin 7, Jenny and Julia 3, Joseph 2, Jacob 1. I did 12x400 down the canyon. I modified the workout a little from the last time alternating recoveries between 100 meters and 200 meters. The target was 72. I planned to add more 200 meter recoveries if I found myself struggling to hit 72. But I ended up doing fine with the alternating 100/200 recovery regimen with the slowest repetition being 72.6, median of around 71.0-71.5 and with occasional high or even low 70s. The last one was 69.7. Overall I was happy with the workout. Total of 12 miles.

P.M. Sarah took William for 0.5. 

Green Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.500.000.500.0012.00

A.M. Ran with the kids. Total of 12. Benjamin did 7, Jenny, Julia and Joseph 3, Jacob 1. I did a pickup after a VPN up the canyon for 0.5 in 2:47, and it felt good.

P.M. Julia took William for 0.5. 

Green Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.500.006.500.0020.00

A.M. Ran with the kids then ran some more to make it 20. Benjamin did 5, Jenny and Julia 3, Joseph 2, Jacob 1. Benjamin felt like he was getting a cold, so that's why only 5. He normally runs 7. I ran the last 13 miles alone, with the last 6.5 hard. Total time for 13 was 1:24:53 with the last 6.5 in 37:25  - 5:45 pace. For some reason it felt hard even though I felt strong. I think part of it was not having Benjamin in the last 3.5, but also some headwind. When I finished I felt like my heart was beating really fast. Not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing.  The last 100 meters is up 6% grade, so that is part of the reason. But in those tempos it is always up 6%.  Maybe the heart was still tired from the quarters on Thursday and 2000s on Tuesday. In any case, I'll see how I do in the workouts in the next couple of weeks before making any conclusions. It did feel good to run a 1:25 half equivalent on an out and back course jogging the first 6.5 miles of it, and I mean really jogging - I never cracked 7:00 in any of the miles.

Green Crocs 4 Miles: 20.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
67.030.007.756.7581.53
Green Crocs 4 Miles: 81.50
Night Sleep Time: 47.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 47.50
Debt Reduction Calculator
Featured Announcements
Lone Faithfuls
(need a comment):
Recent Comments: